Midwest Fastpitch - keeptheboardcorrect@gmail.com

Midwest Fastpitch - keeptheboardcorrect@gmail.com
[ Midwest Fastpitch - keeptheboardcorrect@gmail.com ]

Bad umpires

Posted by 90 and over on April 21, 2026, 8:39 am

Is it a requirement for these hs umpires to be 90 and blind? I’ve seen so many bad calls this year. (Both ways) Pitches are literally in the other batters box being called strikes. This has got to be the worst year by far.

Re: Bad umpires

Posted by Not Really on April 21, 2026, 8:29 pm, in reply to "Bad umpires "

Umpiring has been poor for a long time (trust me). These umpires want to make the game move (or maybe they have dinner plans) so they will call a strike on the pitch 8 inches outside or high. I have always believed the poor strike zone affected right-handed hitters more. The umps have always been poor at keeping lefties in-the-box.
If your team wins by a touchdown or loses by a touchdown the umps don’t matter. But in tight games the strike zone matters and many umpires fail.

Re: Bad umpires

Posted by Ump crisis on April 21, 2026, 10:01 am, in reply to "Bad umpires "

It's a supply and demand issue, and is not helped by the general belief that the working conditions have gotten worse (i.e., parents yelling at umps at 10U).

I've never seen a HS, rec or club advertise umpire training or recruitment - seems like a miss.

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